The first illustrated Negro newspaper was _The Indianapolis Freeman_, founded by Edward Cooper of Indianapolis, Ind., July 14, 1888. The paper consisted of eight pages, and gave a complete review of the doings of Negroes everywhere. The extensive use of cuts and illustrations made the paper famous. As an all around newspaperman, Cooper was without a peer, and under his management the paper reached a pre-eminent position in Negro Journalism. Today _The Freeman_ is owned and controlled by George L. Knox, and it still enjoys a wide range of popularity. The paper features theatricals and sports. The present circulation is about 30,000. [Sidenote: AFRO-AMERICAN FOUNDED IN 1893] The founding of _The Afro-American_ in 1893, by W. M. Alexander marks the beginning of a paper which today figures most conspicuously in Negro Journalism. About 1896, the paper came into the hands of J. H. Murphy, Sr.,[5] who is now its managing editor at the age of eighty. More will be said of _The Afro-American_ in connection with the chapter on Present Day Papers. [Sidenote: LEADING PAPERS IN 1897] A list of the leading Negro newspapers in America in 1897, compiled by J. T. Haley in his book _Sparkling Gems of Race Knowledge_, includes the following: _The Colored American_, Washington, D. C.; _The New York Age_; _The Indianapolis Freeman_; _The Cleveland Gazette_; _The Boston Courant_; _The Richmond_ (Va.) _Planet_; _The Huntsville_ (Ala.) _Gazette_; _The Southern Age_, Atlanta, Ga.; _The Progress_, Helena, Ark.; _The Elevator_, San Francisco, Cal.; _The Colorado Statesman_, Denver, Colo.; _The Appeal_, Chicago, Ill.; _The Afro-American_, Baltimore, Md., and _The Denver_ (Colo.) _Star_. [Sidenote: ORGANIZATION OF NEGRO CORRESPONDENTS] It would be improper to close a discussion of the period without mentioning the organizing of the “Associated Correspondents of Race Papers” on April 23, 1890. The object of the organization was to establish a better medium of communication from the capital. This step was perhaps the first real effort for unison among Negro newspapers, and marked a growing spirit of journalistic co-operation and interdependency. [5] Murphy died in April, 1922, at the age of 80 years. CHAPTER V THE DAWN OF A NEW ERA (1900-⸺) [Sidenote: JOURNALISM BECOMING A PROFESSION] Without doubt the first two decades of the twentieth century mark the highest progress in Negro Journalism. More papers have been established, and better papers have been produced. A realization of the power of the press has grown as the period of freedom has increased and race consciousness has been developed. More men with capital have invested in newspapers. Publishers and editors began for the first time to consider Journalism a profession from which a living could be derived. [Sidenote: LACK FUNDS AND NEED EQUIPMENT]